1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a test device useful in aiding in the installation and verification of electronic tachographs and fleet management systems and useful as a tool for testing electronic taximeters.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,645 to Saufferer et al. teaches a method and apparatus for determining whether an electronic taximeter is in proper working order. The reference instrument includes a testing switch which is actuated manually by the taxi driver or automatically at the end of a trip. A preselected plurality of parts is applied to the computing means in the electronic taximeter upon activation of the testing switch. If the taximeter is in proper working order, then the reference indicating means of the taximeter will successively display the numerals from 0 to 9 at a rate of about 1 per second.
The reference instrument is an instrument of limited use in regard to a choice display indicating the proper situation or the improper situation. The instrument is not adapted to various working conditions. In particular, it does not provide diagnostic functions about possibilities of malfunctioning. It further does not provide for checking the proper setting of the taximeter with respect to the odometer of the vehicle or of the taximeter calculating apparatus. Furthermore, this instrument does not provide for reading the actual measured parameters nor for use in connection with different types of equipment, such as for example, a fleet management system.
The U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,746,843, 3,426,273, and 3,860,806 also contain background material and show conventional elements of interest in connection with the present invention.